1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to electronic sign, display and messaging systems. More particularly, it relates to a modular system having a plurality of identical modular panels forming a larger display matrix, each modular panel being under microprocessor control for selecting information for its respective module from a single, common serial data transmission line; each module microprocessor having read only memory for storing previously loaded data, temporary random access memory for retaining “virtual screen” data and computational abilities for facilitating the manipulation of said virtual screen data utilizing said previously loaded and stored data; each modular panel being able to accept a unique identifier through a method of assigning said identifier.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electronic message and display systems are well known in the prior art. They first appeared outside of banks displaying the temperature and time for passing motorists and pedestrians. These simple electronic displays typically used LEDs and were sometimes microprocessor controlled, but they did not require sophisticated circuitry since there only function was to alternate the current temperature and local time. Accordingly, issues of loading and displaying the “image” quickly were not a factor, nor was there a desire to move the image around the display system (i.e., scrolling).
Soon however, other uses emerged. Store owners, for example, began to display other information such as a notice of sale or other “eye-catching” information that they wanted the public to know. Accordingly, electronic message and display systems began to be used as an important advertising tool and information disseminator. Because of this, a need arose to load the messages more quickly and to have abilities to do things such as scrolling. To accomplish this, more sophisticated circuitry was needed. A good modern day example of the need to load a message quickly is the display systems that are used along highways and major traffic corridors for publishing “Amber Alerts.”
Early sophisticated electronic message and display systems were controlled by a single computing device and require complicated interconnected electronic circuitry to control the entire display. As a result, these types of boards where costly to manufacture, difficult to fix and caused long delays during maintenance and repairs. For example, if only a portion of the board was malfunctioning, then the entire display system had to be taken “off-line” to be repaired. In other words, a single LED failure could cause total display system failure. More complicated electronic circuitry was needed to bring these electronic message and display systems to modern day standards where people expected their messages (or animation) to be quickly loaded and shown and the display system to remain functioning even if a portion of the system failed. Further advancements were clearly needed.
It was therefore proposed, that an entire display system could be made up of individual smaller display panels. Such smaller display panels were “modular” and allowed for interconnection there between. These modular display systems were easier to manufacture and allowed for customer driven design. Such a modular system can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,301 to Waltz et al. However, Waltz et al. did not teach the use of individual computer control of each modular panel. Accordingly, many of the inherent difficulties experienced in the prior art remained in early modular system designs. And, those that did contemplate individual panel computer control produced extremely complicated networks of circuitry wherein intricate wiring, application specific components and computer architecture was the norm. No one contemplated building from simple uniformed modular building blocks (i.e., panels). This in turn, prohibited vendors from stocking any inventory of building block type modular panels that would allow for cost effective, quick and final construction and installation of electronic message and display systems. Improvement was clearly still needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,802 to Maskeny improved greatly upon the art of modular electronic message and display systems. In particular, Maskeny advanced a system wherein a plurality of identical modular panels made up a large display system or matrix. The entire matrix is under computer control wherein individual display chips (microprocessors) are mounted on each panel. The display chips drive the illumination elements or LEDs. A three wire connection couples a host computer and a power supply to the entire display matrix, regardless of the number of modular panels that makes up the display panel matrix (the electronic sign). Two of the wires attend to a positive DC voltage and ground while the third wire transmits all serial data that is supplied to the display matrix. The panels attach to a mechanical support frame that carries the power and data connections to each panel and hence the entire sign. A unique addressable serial data selection and distribution means provides for the ability for all data that is carried over the single serial data wire to be received by each and every display chip but only loaded, and subsequently shown, by the display chip (and therefore the modular panel) that has such unique address. This was a significant improvement in the art. Before the Maskeny invention, individual data wires were needed to address each modular panel, thereby providing for a very complicated circuitry system. No ability existed here before, that allowed each display chip to look at all of the data that passed by, ignore data not intended to be received and only display intended data. However, even in this improvement, each modular panel was part of the greater display matrix. It is not contemplated in Maskeny that each modular panel, in itself, could carry an entire message or animated scene in memory that is intended to be shown on the entire display matrix. In other words, each modular panel, although under individual microprocessor control, still has a level of dependency on the other modular panels in the display matrix. This dependency among the modular panels can effect message loading and display speeds.
As any art progresses, new uses are desired and so new advancements are needed. In the prior art of modular electronic message and display systems, many new uses and features are desired. In particular, users of these display systems desire a quicker loading scheme so they can change the message they are displaying more often, without affecting overall display time of the system. Further, end users such as store owners desire the ability to create and load their own messages, using a computer, without the need to have a specialized technician or operator visit their location and create the message. Further, users want their messages to do more. For example, they desire the ability to scroll their messages in a multitude of different directions and patterns. Or, they want to show a more complicated graphic that rises to the level of animation. Still further, users want the ability to repair their own display systems without the need to bring in a specialized and costly technician. They do not want their message or animation affected by the replacement of a new modular panel. For example, in display systems that use the unique addressable serial data selection and distribution means, replacement of one panel in an entire display matrix requires the re-programming (updating) of the message so that the data that forms such message knows the new unique serial number of the display chip for the new replaced panel. In total, users want significantly advanced features on electronic message and displays systems that are easier to operate and contain less circuitry. And, they want all of these new features and abilities at a reduced cost. Nothing in the prior art satisfies this need completely in one system. The prior art can only satisfy some of these needs individually and at the expense of complicated, highly sophisticated electronic circuitry at a greater cost. Further, some of these needs can only be satisfied with highly tuned, extremely fast, high speed hardware, that requires highly trained technical professionals to install and/or repair such systems.